The Crash, The Grenade and the Dream
by norearviewmirrors
Summary: AU where Elena doesn't die at the end of Season 3, and Stefan saves her for the millionth time.


It was almost dawn in mystic falls, and Elena was yet to fall asleep, after the car accident, Stefan took her and Matt home, not a word spoken in the car, as he tended mostly to Elena, covering her with his drenched jacked, driving with one hand on the wheel, the other wrapped around her shoulders, rubbing up and down trying to warm her. The flashbacks were all too much for her to handle, so Elena thought of different things, like the way Stefan had left her and matt at her home, and after Matt stumbled through the door the lay on her couch, Stefan had told her how glad he was that she was alive, and then left, muttering something about giving Rebecca a taste of revenge. All Elena had wanted was for him to come in and hold her as she cried that night, but she knew he needed to go, needed to protect her this way first.

She hadn't slept, she showed Matt to the bathroom to shower and lent him some of Jeremy's dry clothes to wear, and shortly after, he had fallen asleep. Elena saw it in his eyes how bad he needed to talk to her, to tell her how sorry he was, and how he didn't mean for this to happen, but when he had tried after Stefan left, she simply hugged him, and told him she understood everything, and that there would be lots of time to speak in the morning. She had followed Matt's routine, and after her shower, she checked on Matt, put another blanket on him, and then went to bed.

Elena didn't know who she was kidding, she wouldn't sleep, she couldn't sleep until she felt safe, until the shock of the accident faded to fear and she could let herself cry, and eventually feel safe again. But until Stefan was back, until he was no longer searching for a psychopathic original that could kill him in a second, until he was in her house holding her, she was not safe.

The first few hours of the nights insomnia was very poetic, she wrote in her journal, her hands still shaking, and looked through pictures of her friends in an old scrapbook her and Bonnie had put together the summer Caroline went to Florida. She remembered the long hours they spent trying to scrapbook, and the childhood injuries of the glue gun that her mother had warned them about.

But thinking of her parents just made it worse, because from that came everything, came every death, and loss, and lie that she had lived through the past couple years, and that made her sick. The rest of the night, after those thoughts had flooded in, had not been poetic at all, but draining. She felt tired, and weighed down, she felt as though she had been drained of everything she once had to offer and all the was left was bones and hope. The past hours were excruciating, she was so tired, but could not sleep, and felt an ache in every bone in her body.

Stefan was now outside their mansion, Rebecca had just walked inside, and she wouldn't be expecting him. He was "being the better villain" but it wasn't enough, he barely saved her. He took a step forward, whether he lived past this moment, he wasn't sure.

"I wouldn't" came a voice from behind him, Elijah. How dare he come back, he kidnapped Elena, he held her hostage, he threatened to kill her. A loud voice residing in Stefan's conscious boomed "ENEMY" but a small voice, the voice Lexi had taught Stefan to pay attention to, whispered "wait, give him a moment, if he wanted you dead, you'd have been a while ago."

Picking the least violent voice, Stefan turned and looked at the man he had to respect for, glaring. "I know how you're feeling, vengeful, hatred burning in your veins. To be honest, I don't blame you, Becca can be a handful" a small growl rose from Stefan's chest, but he remained calm "I will deal with my sister, I intend on killing her tonight. But you know the rules, a vampire kills an original, the vampire dies." In remembering this, Stefan felt defeated, as nothing could go his way, his hands were tied and he could do nothing more than stare from the sidelines as if he was human.

"Go home Stefan, go to Elena, and make sure she will be okay. She needs you more than you need revenge". They were the wisest words Elijah had ever spoken in Stefan's presence, and he knew he was right.

Stefan raced home, _her_ home, and jumped to her window, not wanting to wake Matt through the front door. He looked through the window briefly and saw her, his protector, she had always made him feel safe, though she was human, and he a vampire, being with her made him forget every bad thing about him, every part of himself that scared him, completely. He saw her in bed, looking frustrated, like a grenade with a pulled pin, and she was holding on for dear life until she was safe enough to throw it and let herself explode. He had hated any pain on her, but this by far was the worst, he wanted her to feel human, to worry only about who she would take to prom, and if they would coordinate. He wanted her to dream of beautiful childhood memories, but he couldn't see any form of happy nostalgia linger in her. If anything, he knew the pain would only increase after he stepped in, she would let herself go, asking him wordlessly to be strong for her as she cried like a child.

Not allowing himself to put this off, and knowing that the longer he let her hold the pin, the worse the explosion, he knocked, letting his ring graze the glass so gently Matt wouldn't hear, but loud enough for her to. Elena instantly shot upright in her bed and stared at the window, realizing it was him, she ran out of bed as he let himself in. She was in mid step to him when he grabbed her waist and wrapped his arms around them, her face finding the crevice of his neck to cry into, and he brought a hand to the back of her neck holding her close. After a while, he lifted her up gently, and carefully brought her to lay in her bed, and laying bedside her, he held her, letting her cry, letting her throw the grenade.

Through the night she whimpered things along the lines of why did everyone around her have to die, why were things so terrible? Sobbing that it was all her fault for being the doppelganger, and how she should have left with Stefan the moment they had found out. Stefan couldn't do anything but hold her and cry with her and reassure her it would all be okay, choosing a later day to tell her about Tyler.

Jeremy was with Caroline, Damon's idea. If Rebecca finds out she failed with one Gilbert, who knew if she would try again with the same one, so Caroline volunteered. After all she had been through that night, she felt warmth in knowing she could protect someone, and sadness knowing she couldn't protect Tyler.

It was 6:30 and Elena hadn't slept yet, now only stay tears fell from her eyes, and she was calming down as Stefan made useless small talk about the funny memories they had shared together, she giggled here and there, and Stefan was just happy to hear her laugh. Neither of them spoke of what happened that night, or what was going to happen now, only Stefan's small talk could be heard. But that was what she needed, remembrance of the simpler days, of the happier days that would come soon again once she opened herself up to it again. She would always be scared, always be looking over her shoulder, but that was why Stefan held her, to show her he wouldn't let her face it all alone, that he would protect her. When Stefan finished a story about how he remembered her "interesting cooking habits" Elena looked at him, her eyes were doe-like and wet and glossy from tears, she said "You did your best, you always have"  
he smiled lightly at her, and then set a serious face "I wish it was enough"  
"It is, I promise" she replied "I know Matt called you when I was sleeping in his car before the accident, I know you told him I was driving back to you"  
"he did" was all Stefan could say

"there isn't anyone I would rather be with Stefan, I love you, I trust you, okay?" she took a deep breath, and looked deep into his eyes. He knew she was telling him her choice, and that made him overwhelmed with joy. But there was another look in her eyes, they lingered off the words of "I trust you" and had a sort of pleading to them, she was asking him for a favor, and before she could verbalize, she had him

"Anything you want" he let it slip before he could stop himself, and was quite afraid of where it would lead.

Elena began to take off her vervain necklace and Stefan grew confused. When it was off, Elena placed it on her bedside table behind her, and gently coiled back into Stefan's embrace. "I haven't slept in ages" she yawned "not really anyways" and whispering so low, she knew only Stefan's skilled ears could hear, "I want a dream Stefan" she paused "please"

"Anything you want" he repeated, and Elena closed her eyes, preparing herself for the best night of sleep she'd had in far too long. Stefan focused himself, and found herself in her dream, it was the one he knew always haunted Elena on her darkest days, where she was alone in Mystic High, on a weekend or holiday, with no one around, and she was scared, but no one would answer her calls.

Stefan cautiously entered the hallway in her dream, "you came" she said, she knew it was a dream, he had made sure to show himself enter in front of her, so she wouldn't be confused or scared. "you asked" he replied. She looked down, "I'm scared" she whispered,

"Don't be" he whispered back. Then he lit up the school with every light possible, and showed her flashes of all the moments they had there, first showing her a sort of clip from the day they met, them both watching it happen again. Then looking through a window, they watched Stefan give Elena her necklace, and her Caroline and Bonnie practicing cheerleading as she tried not to stare at Stefan on the football field for too long. As they watched, Stefan held Elena's back to his chest, wrapping his hands around her waist. Suddenly realizing that she was crying "hey, what's the matter" he asked her, as they watched her memories of herself with Caroline, Bonnie, Tyler and Matt growing up. "it's just so perfect, thank you" she said, placing her small gently hand over her mouth.

Stefan put his head down, his forehead lying on her shoulder. "I love you" he whispered

"I love you," she whispered back. "I want you to compel me"  
Stefan's head shot up, suddenly afraid, "I want you to compel me to always remember this dream, and what you've done for me tonight"  
It wasn't anything new, in fact, Elena asked him many times for him to do this, to remember their time on the Ferris Wheel, and when they went to dances, he had even agreed after their last dance. And so he did, he made her remember.

When they both woke from the dream around 11 am, they just sat in bed without words, Elena's back pressed firmly on his chest both just smiling, knowing there was a world of sorrow outside their door, and not letting it ruin the moment they were sharing right now..


End file.
